A Change of Heart, A Shift in Soul
by The Morrigan's Wife
Summary: Harry always was unique. The Horcrux residing within him was only one example of this. Thing is, that Horcrux is self-aware and looking to get out and prove the whole world wrong. Welcome Tom Marvolo Riddle, secret protector of The-Boy-Who-Lived. After all, who better to defeat Voldemort than himself? Warnings inside. Sorry for the bad summary.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first venture into the world of fan fiction writing. I've written so much other stuff but this is the first time others will be reading my work. I have a few projects on the go and updates may be irregular but I will finish everything I start, don't worry. This idea came to me out of the blue when I was writing an original short story. I was always fascinated by the possibilities having a human horcrux presented and this is me exploring that. Harry deserves someone willing to fight for him and only him so that's what I gave him.**

 **Major Dumbledore bashing. Mild Ron, Hermione and Ginny bashing. Still unsure of pairings but will let you know.**

When the killing curse rebounded that fateful Halloween night, a half of the pitiful remainder of the Dark Lord's soul was left behind. This fragment of soul stayed dormant for years, unable to communicate with the outside world but still capable of being affected by his host. You see, that fragment of soul was locked at the same age as Harry, his host, at least in terms of emotional growth. He still had all of his memories and they often gave them both nightmares. Being forced to grow up again in the body of such a kind, selfless individual had a marked effect on Voldemort. His whole character down to his very magic lightened from the inky blackness of before to a cloudy grey, reminiscent of the sky just before the rain falls. The insanity shrivelled away until Tom or Marvolo as he now thought of himself was left with only some anger issues. And then the master soul brushed against _his_ Harry's mind. For Harry was his. His host, his companion, his saviour, his to protect. Marvolo accepted that going by the same logic, he was Harry's just as much but he didn't like to acknowledge that fact. Right now, Harry needed his help far more that he needed Harry's. He didn't have the awareness or control to communicate with Harry, but spending a year in close proximity to the master soul would certainly help with that.

The year passed, Marvolo worked tirelessly to defend Harry's mind from Voldemort, Dumbledore and Snape. Desperately attempting to warn Harry against Quirrel but there was nothing he could do in his present state. So he worked at the side lines, protecting his one friend who still didn't know he existed. And then they were standing in the mirror room and Quirrel was burning. As Voldemort rushed through them, Marvolo latched on and stole as much energy as he could, in his current state the spirit wouldn't notice.

Marvolo was scared, he could feel Harry's consciousness fading. His last thought was _'I don't want him to die. He deserves more.'_ Before despair and darkness overtook him.

The last thing Harry heard before losing consciousness was a strange boys voice screaming " _Harryyyyyy!"_ He had the strangest urge to reach out and comfort the stranger, to tell him everything would be alright. He instinctually recognised the person behind the voice, though he couldn't understand how only having vague recollections of comfort to associate with it. He knew that the presence had always been there though, at the very edge of his awareness. Finally, the darkness pulled him under as Dumbledore swept through the door, surveying the room with satisfaction.

When Harry woke next, he was lying in the hospital wing. He was just in time to see the headmaster's lurid robes disappearing through the door. Lying back on the mound of pillows he thought back to the presence that had seemed so scared for him. He was sure he knew it but had no idea where the voice had come from. As if in answer to his thoughts the same voice echoed through his own head,

" _You're finally awake! I've been tearing my virtual hair out these past three days. I spend years gathering enough energy to communicate with you directly and just as I do, you almost die on me."_ The voice sounded smooth and decidedly petulant.

" _Um…"_ Harry hesitantly thought, " _Who exactly are you? I know you somehow."_

 _"You actually recognise me?"_ The voice sounded so hopeful that Harry's heart melted in an instant. _"Of course! You remind me of the feeling of safety I would sometimes get at night, lying in my cupboard at the Dursley's."_ Harry got shyer the more he talked but the voice seemed overjoyed at the news,

" _It worked!"_ It cried happily, " _I always tried to make you feel better after our nightmares."_ Harry blushed in pleasure at that, before… "Our _nightmares?"_

 _"Oops. Sorry. I'm Tom Marvolo Riddle. I've been living inside your mind and soul ever since the attack by Voldemort. I was originally a part of that twisted things soul but having to grow up all over again next to you has changed me beyond recognition. I'd do_ anything _for you Harry. Even defeat my master soul."_

Harry sat there in complete disbelief for several minutes. He instinctually knew that they couldn't lie to each other, which meant that Tom was telling the truth. That thought made the lonely little boy overjoyed. Tom needed him, even seemed to _love_ him. For the affection starved boy, that meant the world to Harry. And, Harry being Harry, he instantly matched that affection with all his heart and soul. " _I love you too, Tom. Goodnight."_ He whispered before unconsciousness overtook him once more.

Marvolo- Tom-He was Tom now as that was what Harry called him-remained frozen in shock in a corner of Harry's head. Harry _loved_ him. _Him._ And so easily, too. He'd known Tom's presence instantly from their long hours spent in that cupboard. The trust in him was a joy to witness and feel. He already knew he would get addicted to the feel of that trust and swore to never break it. Tom fell to plotting then, he had to get Harry out of Privet Drive. He couldn't allow Harry to suffer a moment longer. To do this he needed to gather more energy while puzzling out a way to form a body without any death involved. Not only would Harry hate that, but Tom himself could no longer stomach the thought of taking an innocent life. He should be able to do that if he absorbed enough of his soul. He certainly felt enough remorse for it to work. He and Harry could go and retrieve the Diadem tomorrow, beyond that he would have to wait and see what Harry was up for. He didn't want to push his little host. He also needed to spend some time convincing Harry that he wasn't a murderer. So much to do, so little time. With plans still forming, Tom fell into whatever counted as sleep for a self-aware Horcrux.

When Harry awoke next, Dumbledore was sitting beside his hospital bed, beaming down at the small eleven year old.

" _Senile old coot."_ Tom grouched, almost making Harry laugh out loud. Harry was still unsure about Dumbledore, he seemed harmless but the poor boy knew not to trust someone just because they seemed friendly. Plus, Tom didn't trust him and Harry wanted to know Tom's reasons before forming his own opinion on the Headmaster. He was rather abruptly dragged from his thoughts by a cheerful,

"Good morning, Harry." The Headmaster's voice was far too happy for the circumstances Harry though moodily as he struggled with the blankets cocooning him. Finally he was upright and able to respond with a curt,

"Good morning Headmaster." Now that he was sitting, he could see the vast array of sweets, toys and get well cards. And- Was that a toilet seat? It must be the twins' fault, he decided firmly. They had been talking about liberating one since the start of the year after all. Harry was surprised they hadn't sent it to Ginny.

 **"Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming** (again) **"What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for** the **lavatory seat."** _"I knew it!"_ Harry crowed internally. Tom laughed delightedly. Unfortunately, Dumbledore was still talking,

" **…they thought it would amuse you."**

Harry mostly tuned out of the conversation after that, answering rather mechanically when required. He only refocused when Dumbledore said that the stone was being destroyed, " **Destroyed?" said Harry blankly.** _"You just destroyed a unique magical artefact of unknown possible capabilities?! The research opportunities alone! All gone!"_ Tom yelled furiously. Harry agreed, although for different reasons, **"But your friend-Nicolas Flamel-"**

 **"Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore,** sounding far too delighted again. **"You** ** _did_** **do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicholas and I had a little chat and agreed it's all for the best."**

 **"But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?"**

 **"They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die."**

 **Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face.**

 **"To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very,** ** _very_** **long day. After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all-the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them."**

 _"That's certainly true. I'll be correcting my mistake for some time to come."_

Grumbled Tom wearily. Harry made a note to ask about that one later before returning to staring silently at the headmaster. Eventually, Dumbledore frowned slightly at Harry's lack of further questions before standing to leave while muttering some pleasantries. Harry ignored him. He knew Tom had all the answers he needed, and unlike with Dumbledore, Tom would always tell him the truth.

Later the same day Harry was released from the Hospital wing, and following Tom's directions made his way to the Room of Requirement. Tom got him to ask for a comfortable sitting room first, they had a lot to discuss after all.

 _"Alright Tom. Can you please explain Voldemort's fascination with me and how you ended up inside my head. That still confuses me so much."_

 _"Of course Harry. You deserve this explanation more than anyone. They're linked so I'll have to tell you the whole story I'm afraid."_ Tom seemed to hesitate before going on, " _This all starts while I was attending Hogwarts. I lived in a muggle orphanage all my childhood which was bad enough as you can guess. It was made a thousand times worse by the fact that the Second World War was raging right over our heads. I spent my summers in constant fear for my life. I hated it and formed a trauma based phobia of death backed up by an underlying current of PTSD that was never addressed. Then, I found out about a type of magic called Horcruxes. This magic allowed me to split my soul and store parts of it in inanimate objects of my choosing. I was hooked. Here was a way to escape the thing I feared with a burning passion. I made my first one while still a student of Hogwarts but my mania drove me to make far more than anyone before me. The more I made the faster my sanity drained away until I was left an arrogant megalomaniac with a sick thirst for torture. Then word was brought to me of a Prophecy that predicted the birth of someone with the power to vanquish me. I reacted violently. Upon hearing news of the birth of you and Neville Longbottom I chose my target and set out to destroy the whole family. That was the Potters of course. But your mother's willing sacrifice and love cast a powerful protective ward over you, embedded into your very skin so that when I cast that last killing curse, it was thrown back in my face. My Horcruxes saved me, but the backlash forcefully tore my soul from my body."_ Tom hesitated again, voice soft and ashamed, _"Now, this is where it gets tricky. You see, I'd mutilated my soul so badly that a fragment of that soul broke off and attached itself to the closest living thing, you. That's how you got that scar, Harry. My soul entering your body. The protection of your mother allowing me through only because I wasn't seeking to harm you. Because I'm such a tiny fragment of the main soul I was easily dominated by your pure, whole,_ innocent _soul. Your simple, childlike emotions have dictated my emotional growth ever since. Growing up again with your soul pressing against mine on all sides created a great change in me, the madness fell away and gradually my own soul lightened from the pitch black it had been previously. I used to be the Darkest wizard in Wizarding Britain for centuries. Now my affinity is more a light grey. That's all thanks to you, Harry. You singlehandedly swayed the Dark Lord Voldemort away from his own faction. You should be proud."_

Harry didn't know what to say, what to think. How could he have done so much for Tom? He was just Harry, a tiny, scrawny little boy who only succeeded at being an average wizard. He wasn't anything special, couldn't Tom see that?

" _Stop that this instant! You are small because of those_ _ **filth**_ _we are forced to live with. I'm already making plans to get you far away from them at the earliest opportunity, once that is done we can work on correcting the damage done to your growth and fix your eyesight at the same time now that I think of it. As for being an average wizard, I can see your magical core Harry and it's far from average. You're a very powerful wizard Harry, you're sabotaging yourself though. You need to remember that the Dursleys won't care about your results here, you can do your best without any fear of repercussions. Also, I'd like you to do well, Harry. I don't want you unhappy, I want to see you successful and fulfilling your full potential."_

Harry was sobbing quietly by the end of Tom's impassioned rant. Tom had only been openly there for two days and he was already promising to rescue Harry from his own personal hell. In a matter of days, Tom had done more for Harry than any other person since he was left on that doorstep.

" _Oh Harry."_ Tom whispered softly and suddenly Harry was enveloped in a sense of warmth and affection. There was nothing physical to see yet, but it felt exactly like what Harry thought a comforting hug should feel like. With this foreign sensation clouding his senses, he released a storm of weeping built up from years of neglect and heartache. Tom kept up his evanescent attempt at comfort through it all and only withdrew once Harry had calmed.

Wiping his eyes, Harry snuggled deeper into the armchair sending a thick "Thank you." Out into the silent room. " _You're welcome Harry."_ Tom replied, voice soft.

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Harry whispered out, "Can you explain your dislike of Dumbledore to me? I want to know so I can start to make my own opinion of the man. So far, I don't know what to think. He's too cheerful though."

 _"I'd be happy to. Dumbledore was the one who first introduced me to magic. Not only did he set my only possessions on fire, but he formed an instant dislike and suspicion of me upon discovering that I was a Parselmouth. This dislike only grew as the years passed. I was a powerful, confident Slytherin already gaining political followers. He kept Headmaster Dippet wary of me and made sure that my annual requests for sanctuary were refused outright. Damning me to the tender mercies of the orphanage and the muggle war."_ Tom stopped there and took a deep breath, obviously attempting to calm himself before going on,

 _"More recently, with you, he left you on the doorstep with nothing to protect you from the weather apart from a blanket. You could have woken up and wandered off, caught pneumonia or even been kidnapped! Then,_ _ **then!**_ _He never bothers to check up on his little saviour, leaving him to be abused. Dumbledore thrives off of manipulations, it's his life's blood. For instance, you're the last heir to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. You have many vaults and properties that you should have partial control over. Yet you have only received your trust vault key. And even further! I've had to spend the whole year protecting as much of your mind as I can from his careless rummaging. The amount of times I've caught the old goat trying to go through your memories is criminal! I'd bet my life on the fact that he set up the whole Philosopher's Stone incident to test you."_

 **"What?!"** Harry yelled, sitting bolt upright. "He's been going through my _head?!_ He set this whole thing up? Does he want me to die or something?"

" _Not yet."_ Tom thought grimly. _"He still needs you to defeat Voldemort in whatever convoluted way he's cooked up in that senile mind of his. He most likely already suspects about my Horcruxes and further suspects you of being one. He probably plans for you to die heroically in battle after destroying the other Horcuxes before he swoops in to finish me off."_

"That's-that's…" Harry stuttered, unable to think, let alone talk.

" _Shh… Harry. I won't let him hurt you. I'm going to need your help though Harry."_

 _"Anything."_ Harry thought, jaw jutting out determinedly. A wave of happiness caressed the boys senses before fading as Tom's voice echoed through his mind,

" _Thank you Harry. I need to start reassembling my soul so that I can get my own body. Once I have that, I can work on creating an alias and getting you away from the Dursleys."_ He spat the last word out like it was the worst curse imaginable.

 _"There's one hidden in this room. Simply ask for the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw."_

Harry did as requested and an intricate circlet appeared in his lap, shimmering softly in the glow of the fire. Then, Harry felt the presence he knew to be Tom surge forward to connect with the dormant soul in the diadem. Slowly, carefully, Harry felt Tom's ethereal presence strengthen, almost seeming to form a ghostly form for a second before withdrawing back inside of Harry's mind.

 _"Once the new piece of soul has been fully assimilated, I should be able to appear for short periods of time as a sort of ghost. If we manage to get another one over the summer I may even be able to look almost fully real. What we really need is my Diary, that contains the biggest piece of soul and would make this all so much easier. Unfortunately, that's currently with Lucius Malfoy."_

Harry grinned at the news. He wanted to be able to see his unusual friend, he was so curious! Would he look his age? Or older? What had Tom even looked like? So many questions… Harry fell asleep that night with his mind whirling with half formed questions and ideas. That night, he dreamed of a handsome, dark haired boy coming to save him and take him far, far away.

He woke the next day to find a ghostly figure sitting against his headboard, one slender hand playing with his hair as he stared into space. Harry lay still for a moment, regarding what he knew to be Tom. Tom was beautiful, that was the first thing Harry thought. His dark brown, almost black hair was sleek and tidy and framed his narrow face and defined cheekbones perfectly. His nose was slightly turned up and made his face more beautiful with it's imperfectness. His eyes were a deep reddish brown that Harry had never seen before. All in all, Harry thought Tom was perfect. As if sensing his thoughts, Tom looked down at the tiny boy curled into his side and smiled softly down at him. He hated how small Harry was as it reminded him of all the years he'd been unable to step in to help the adorable creature beside him. Adorable really was the best way to describe Harry too. His messy black hair and huge emerald eyes would make anyone's heart melt and with his malnourished frame he could easily be mistaken for a nine year old not his real age of eleven. Harry was the first person Tom had ever loved and he was struggling to understand his feelings for his friend. He supposed it didn't matter, he had years to learn all about emotions and he was sure Harry would help all he could.

"Good morning Harry." He greeted softly, "sleep well?"

Harry beamed up at him before stretching and answering,

"Morning Tom. I slept very well, thank you. I'm guessing it worked?"

"It worked very well indeed, I'm so glad I can finally talk to you in person."

They both grinned at this, expressions light and happy before Harry pounced on Tom, glad to discover that he could actually touch him even if he could see the bed through the other boy. This established, Harry deposited himself in the taller boys lap and hugged Tom for all he was worth. Tom could only sit there, completely stunned, for a good few minutes. Eventually, he regained awareness enough to wrap his own arms around the figure currently occupying his lap. They stayed like that until they began to here signs of life from the opposite side of Harry's bed curtains.

"Time to get up, Harry." Tom whispered into Harry's ear, "I'll be right here all day. Remember that. I'm always with you."

And with that, Tom faded slowly away, leaving Harry sitting alone on his bed. Well, not really alone. He was never truly alone. As if to prove that, Tom sent,

" _Have a good journey. I'll deal with the Dursleys so that they won't harm us until we can leave."_ Smiling at this, Harry pulled back his curtains and prepared himself to face the day.

The journey home had been a trial in patience. Now that Harry knew he had someone who loved him despite everything, he was able to clearly see the faults in his best friends. Ron was still crowing over the faces made by the disappointed Slytherins at the leaving feast. He couldn't understand why Harry was so upset by what Dumbledore had done and Harry was appauled that he hadn't noticed how bigoted and slow Ron truly was. Hermione on the other hand had an inferiority complex a mile wide that depended on the approval of her teachers. This wouldn't have been so bad, but somewhere along the way it had twisted into a blind faith of authority figures and books and not being able to believe that she's wrong about anything. Harry really did care about the both of them but he quickly realised that neither of them were very good for him as friends at the point they were all at. He would stay friends with them of course, but maybe it would be good if he pulled back slightly and looked for other friends that would actually be good for him. The Weasley twins would be a good place to start. He'd always enjoyed their company more than Ron's if he was completely honest. Even Tom liked them, although Harry thought that was mainly due to them managing to hit Voldemort in the face with their enchanted snowballs. He was still laughing about it after all.

Tom literally snarled when they saw the Dursleys again. The pure, unsurpressed rage showed Harry once and for all how much Tom cared for him. Harry had the vague feeling that he should feel worry for his relatives instead of the glee that was currently buoying him up but these were the people who had made his childhood a living hell. He felt nothing for them. Anyone else, probably, but never them. Uncle Vernon meanwhile was already thinking up ways to punish the freak for existing, unfortunately for him, he would never get to carry them out.

They were barely through the front door before Tom was forming and standing in front of Harry protectively, Harry's wand clutched in his hand. That brought the whole Dursley family up short.

"Listen," Tom hissed out, eyes flashing furiously, "Harry is under my protection from now on so if you know what's good for you you'll leave him alone. You'll continue on as usual and if anyone asks then Harry is staying with a muggle friend. He'll be coming with me until I can work out a way to get him away from you legally. Understand?"

The Dursleys clearly had some self-preservation as they only nodded frantically from where they stood. Seeming satisfied, Tom turned to Harry,

"Alright Harry, I'm going to guide you through apparition from within your head. I'll give you everything you need, you've done this before so you'll be fine."

That said, Tom sunk back inside Harry and soon enough knowledge flooded Harry's brain. Breathing deeply, Harry focused on the location provided and apparated away.

He arrived to find himself in a small cottage that felt strongly of magic. Tom's magic. Looking around, Harry discovered that the house had a small kitchen, sitting room, bathroom and bedroom all done it shades of green and blue with cream highlights. Harry loved it. He liked Gryffindor tower, he really did, but it was far too bright. This felt so much more relaxed and he instantly felt at home.

" _Welcome home Harry."_ Tom whispered from the back of his mind, voice warm. A wide grin broke out across Harry's face at that, he had a home and someone who loved him to live there with him. This summer couldn't get any better.

The two of them spent the first week of the holidays organising the house and buying in food to last them a while. That went surprisingly well as the house had been under stasis wards the whole time Tom was absent. The next month was spent shopping in Diagon Alley and Tom tutoring Harry in Pureblood history, customs and etiquette, how to write with a quill and also taking time to go over all of Harry's subjects with Harry actually putting in all his effort to do well instead of holding back like before. To say that Harry excelled was an understatement. Not only was Harry naturally highly intelligent but Tom was a natural teacher. Through this all, Tom had been feeding Harry nutrition potions and other healing potions and salves to erase the effects of the years of abuse. He even helped Harry make the extremely tricky eyesight correction draught as the final project in his potions lessons. Potions had become Harry's favourite and best subject along with ancient runes once Tom finally introduced Harry to them. They'd also been working on improving Harry's friendships with other students. So far, Harry had become very close with the Weasley twins and they'd been exchanging letters discussing prank ideas and potions knowledge all summer. Harry had also reached out to Neville as he felt a sort of kinship with the nervous boy. They'd exchanged several letters and Harry learned that Great Uncle Algie had actually been banned from the manor after the window incident and that his Gran was really trying to raise Neville right. Harry managed to coax Neville into asking his Gran for his own wand. Apparently, Augusta Longbottom had at first been appalled at the idea, then horrified at herself before rushing Neville straight to Diagon Alley. It was discovered that Frank Longbottom's wand was still loyal to it's original master as well as being a terrible match for Neville. The fact that Neville had managed to get the wand to work at all was a miracle and spoke of his considerable magical strength and strong will. That had been a shock to the system for both Augusta and Neville and she'd been trying to make up for her mistake ever since. Harry had yet to receive any letters from either Ron or Hermione so hadn't bothered to write to them. Altogether, the pair of children spent a very enjoyable summer interrupted only by a visit from an overexcited house elf that Tom helpfully identified as belonging to the Malfoys. Harry managed to politely turn the house elf away but it left both him and Tom in a state of confusion. Tom's only explanation being that Lucius was up to something. How right he was as they discovered the week after in Diagon Alley.

 **I'll be starting in on second year next chapter where I can really start changing things and going into more detail. Hope people enjoyed this!**


	2. Holidays and Horcruxes

**Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! It's been so nice hearing that people like what I'm writing. I'll actually be starting a college course in writing and publishing this year so it really means a lot to know that people actually want to read my work. Anyway, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!**

Tom and Harry never actually planned to go to Diagon Alley on that particular day for more than just a trip to Gringotts bank to finally look in on the state of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. To be honest, Tom had been putting it off, as he knew he wouldn't like what they discovered. Unfortunately, Harry's annual Hogwarts letter arrived that morning, meaning that their plans had to change and fast. Harry had already bought all of the books Tom thought he could possibly need and more. This year was going to be incredibly easy for Harry as he was now working through third year material in all core wand subjects and beyond even that in potions. Originally, he'd been worried about breaking the Underage restriction but Tom had explained that his house was warded so heavily that the Ministry would never be able to detect a hint of magic from within the property. In fact, the Ministry would never know the place even existed with the amount of powerful wards Tom had used.

Therefore, Tom was incredibly displeased to discover that the DADA teacher was asking Harry to buy the complete works of some ponce named Lockhart, forcing them to spend far longer than Tom was comfortable with beyond the safety of his wards. These were the rather in fortuitous events that led to a wary Harry making his way inside Gringotts with a grumpy former Dark Lord sulking in a corner of his mind. Upon approaching a Goblin and requested an audience with the Potter account manager Harry was surprised to receive a glare and a rude "Come." Before being marched along several corridors and shoved into a large office where a fierce looking Goblin regarded him coolly. Finally, it broke the silence, "Mr Potter," It barked; voice decidedly angry, "I would like to know under what misguided thoughts of superiority you were operating under when you ignored our numerous letters and requests for meetings."

Harry stared at the Goblin, dumbfounded before spluttering, "What letters? What requests? The only time I've interacted with a Goblin was the few words I exchanged with Griphook when I came to withdraw money for school supplies."

It was the Goblin's turn to splutter as it regarded Harry in growing horror.

"This isn't right," It muttered lowly to itself, "That indicates that someone has been tampering with a clients mail."

Finally returning his attention to Harry, the Goblin bowed slightly.

"Forgive me Heir Potter," he said professionally, "I am Barchoke, your accounts manager here at Gringotts. It appears that a crime has been committed that I shall have to rectify quickly."

Throughout the conversation Harry had felt Tom's anger grow exponentially until it exploded as the slightly older boy materialised at Harry's side.

"You mean to tell me," he roared, face flushed lightly, "That Dumbledore not only left my charge with abusive Muggles, denied him access to knowledge of his parents and birth right, attempted to mind-rape him repeatedly throughout the year, but he _also_ withheld Harry's legal inheritance. I'll _kill_ him!"

The Goblin was, understandably shocked at the sudden appearance of this ghostly figure but Harry wasn't so easily distracted. Knowing that a magical explosion was imminent and wanting to spare the poor Goblin's office he did the only thing he could think of. He tackled Tom to the ground before wrapping as much of his own body as he could around the taller boy. Everything instantly stopped. The crackling angry magic, the shouting, the very air seemed to still as Tom abruptly came out of his rage. Blinking, the grey wizard looked down at his chest to find himself face to face with a determined looking Harry.

"Feeling better?" Harry joked weakly, expression turning slightly sheepish. Chuckling, Tom manoeuvred them so he could sit up with Harry still wrapped tightly around his frame, one hand rising to run lightly through the other's tousled strands. "Much better, thank you Harry. Although next time, a simple hug would work fine."

Blushing, Harry nodded. A throat clearing broke the quiet moment however and the two wizards turned to find Barchoke regarding them with an air of disgruntled disbelief. Sighing, Tom opted to explain.

"I am a fragment of the Dark Lord's soul." Tom had to raise a hand to stop the Goblin doing anything rash," Let me finish." Sighing, Tom wrapped both arms around Harry for support as he continued; "I have spent the last eleven years growing up again while living within the very core of the purest, lightest wizard you are likely to meet. This allowed me to not only regain my sanity but also worked to lighten my own magical affinity to a smoky grey. I am currently attempting to reabsorb as much of my soul pieces as I can before the Master soul regain a body. My sole purpose now is keeping Harry safe."

The Goblin watched the pair for several minutes in complete silence before replying, "I would not believe your story Mr Riddle if it wasn't impossible to lie within my office walls. I will help all I can in the reclamation of your soul. Goblins abhor the things you speak of and we will jump at the chance of ridding the world of them."

Smiling, Tom nodded his head in understanding before speaking again.

"You can help me already then as I know that a Death Eater by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange has one stored within her personal vault. It is Hufflepuff's cup."

Growling, Barchoke stalked from the room, returning fifteen minutes later with a small golden chalice grasped lightly in his hands. Reluctantly, Harry stood as Tom faded back into his body before taking the offered cup. Just like last time, Harry felt Tom surge forward towards the dormant soul piece, growing stronger as another piece of Tom's fractured soul returned to the remorseful wizard. Soon enough, it was over and Tom withdrew to rest and Harry handed the cup back to Barchoke. Grinning wickedly, the Goblin accepted the treasure before handing Harry a signet ring bearing what could only be the Potter coat of arms. Harry couldn't see it properly at the moment so merely slipped it on to the finger indicated by Barchoke and swore to look at it more carefully later.

"You can access the main vaults when you turn fourteen and can take an inheritance test at the same time. We cannot show you your parents will as the Chief Warlock sealed them before they could be read. You will be able to unseal them upon reaching your majority."

Harry nodded along to all this dazedly, only really wanting to get out of there, finish his shopping and go home with Tom. Luckily, his accounts manager seemed to realise this as Harry soon found himself leaving the bank.

Harry was horrified to discover that Flourish and Blotts was overrun with witches and wizards all in a state of complete confusion. Quickly realising that he wanted no part in this, Harry hurriedly hid behind a convenient bookshelf and prepared to wait it out. It was, of course, at this moment that the Weasleys arrived. Their swarm of red hair easily spotted amongst the crowd. Upon spotting them, Harry hastily sent off a small note charmed like a paper aeroplane to hit one of the twins in the head. The twin (Harry quickly identified it as George) read the note before grinning, grabbing Fred and dragging him over to Harry's bookshelf, expertly dodging through the mob of rabid fans. Harry then found himself lifted off his feet and passed between the two red heads as they cooed over him, "Look, Gred! It's Ickle Harrikins. Our partner in crime!" Cheered George, beaming. "I know, Forge. Who would have thought Harry had it in him?"

Fred replied, a mischievous smirk plastered across his features.

Laughing, Harry wriggled out of their grasp before straightening his clothes slightly.

"Hello you two menaces." He greeted, smiling brilliantly. Making friends with these two had been the best decision he'd ever made. He felt relaxed in a way he'd never been around Ron. He knew he could tell them anything and they wouldn't judge. He could probably be Dark and they wouldn't care at all beyond wanting to experiment with a wider magic base. The twins, he had worked out, were Grey. They didn't care about the magic they used as long as it got them the desired results. Unlike their younger brother, they were completely unbiased outside of the Quidditch pitch, as Harry had discovered when he'd shared what the sorting hat had said about Slytherin. Turns out, the twins had had the same problem. The three of them chatted quietly together about prank ideas and who to use them on until a disturbance drew their attention. Draco Malfoy and someone who could only be his father were facing off against Arthur, Ron and Hermione. As Harry watched, Lord Malfoy picked up one of Ginny's schoolbooks before goading Arthur into a fistfight. Suddenly, Harry caught sight of Lord Malfoy adding a small black diary to the book still clutched in his hand. At that exact moment, Tom hissed urgently, " _That's my Horcrux! You must get it away from that girl before it awakens and possesses her._ "

Hurriedly, Harry turned to the twins, eyes wide and filled with anxiety, "Guys" He whispered, "Malfoy senior just slipped a black diary into your sisters cauldron. I need you to get it for me. I'll explain on the Hogwarts Express just please do this for me."

The twins, thankfully, wasted no time and were soon on either side of Ginny as they went on about having dropped their journal in her cauldron and that they would soon have it back. In no time at all, the diary was retrieved and the pair of them returned to Harry's side, diary clutched tightly in their arms. Taking it, Harry smiled in relief and nodded his thanks. Returning the nod, the twins disappeared back to their family, eyes promising that they'd question Harry later.

Sighing in relief, Harry pocketed Tom's first Horcrux and slowly edged out of the bookshop. He wasn't going to risk being spotted in this crowd, he would just have to mail order them later or maybe just borrow someone else's copy. They books were practically useless anyway. Letting out another sigh, Harry found a quiet spot and apparated home.

Once safely behind Tom's wards, Harry sat in his favourite forest green armchair with his legs tucked under him as Tom's presence surged forth for the second time that day. Harry actually gasped as he felt how much stronger this Horcrux was making Tom. It was a truly wonderful feeling. Sooner than Harry would like, he felt Tom withdrawing back into Harry's core, whispering, " _You should send that to the twins. They will need it in case someone asks to see it."_

Harry only nodded as his head drooped sideways where it was cushioned on the chair's armrest. Today had been surprisingly exhausting and between one breath and the next, Harry's eyes slid shut.

When he finally came to, it was to discover that he had been moved and was now draped over the matching sofa, head pillowed in someone's lap with a hand running through his hair. Yawning, Harry glanced up only to freeze. Tom looked solid. Harry could no longer see through him. Laughing, Harry launched himself up to wrap his arms around Tom's neck, head buried in the crook of his neck as he cried with joy. This meant that Tom could walk around Hogwarts without raising too much suspicion. People would just think he was another student. Tom's hand never stopped it's soothing movements as his other arm moved to encompass Harry's waist, pleased to note that it wasn't as tiny as before. Thanks to the nutrition potions, Harry was a couple of inches taller and had put on some much needed weight. He was still small for his age but no longer looked like he was too young to be attending Hogwarts. Without the glasses Harry's gaze was lethal. The beautiful colour and shape of his large eyes proved to be Tom's downfall every time Harry asked for anything. Needless to say, Tom couldn't wait to see Snape try his usual antics on Harry now. Still smiling, Tom stood up and moved through to the kitchen, setting Harry down on the work surface as he started to prepare their dinner. It wasn't much, just Bolognese sauce and pasta with garlic bread but Harry loved it. They worked together in comfortable silence, Harry chopping ingredients and Tom adding them. They'd become an excellent team over the holidays and they'd both miss this quiet time at the end of their day. Once everything was ready, the pair sat down to eat their meal, the silence remaining unbroken as they relished in their success so far. As far as Tom knew, they only had the locket and the ring left to absorb. He'd decided to leave off from separating fully from Harry just yet so that he could stay by Harry's side for as long as Voldemort and Dumbledore were out there and a threat to Harry's safety. Shaking off these slightly dark thoughts, Tom focused back on Harry who was actually looking nervous about something, finally, he blurted out,

"Can you stay all night Tom? You know I have nightmares and I want you physically there, not just in my head. Maybe then they'll stop."

Tom's heart melted even as he cursed Dumbledore and the Dursley's for what they'd done to this innocent little boy, "Of course I will Harry. You only ever have to ask me for something and I'll do it. You know this."

Harry smiled softly up at Tom. Both of them had been struggling on what to label the other but had now agreed to just forget about it and enjoy the closeness they had. This was one boundary they hadn't crossed in the physical world even though Tom had been living inside Harry for years. That night, Harry James Potter, Boy-Who-Lived and supposed saviour of the Wizarding world fell asleep curled into the side of Tom Marvolo Riddle, Heir of Slytherin and ex-Dark Lord. Sooner than they'd like, the new school year would begin bringing with it new trials, friends and revelations.


	3. Back to Hogwarts

**A new chapter! Yay! Hope you all enjoy. Sorry it's quite short, I'll be writing more next chapter.**

September first dawned, heralding the start of Harry's second year. To say that they were nervous was a gross understatement. Tom was practically having a heart attack he was so worried over Harry's safety. Harry was more concerned with his imminent confrontation with the Weasley twins and Neville. After much discussion, it had been agreed to reveal Tom's presence to the few trusted people Harry had now.

They made sure to arrive early and quickly set to work to ward their compartment against everyone except the few they trusted. It was actually a fairly simple ward as it focused solely on the will of the caster without any layers or fancy protective measures.

Soon enough, Neville arrived and entered the compartment, instantly wrapping Harry up in a warm embrace with a whispered,

"Thank you." As his only greeting. Laughing, Harry only said, "Good to see you too, Neville. It's been a long and eventful summer. I'll explain once the twins arrive."

Nodding, Neville sat down across from Harry and they fell to discussing the coming school year and all the things they were looking forward to. Harry had just promised Neville his help in potions when the compartment door banged open and the Weasley twins waltzed in. The dramatic entrance was so typical of the pair that the two younger boys burst out laughing. Huffing goodnaturedly, the twin menaces flopped down on either side of Neville and waited out the others' mirth. Eventually the twelve year olds calmed down and Harry started to talk. He was understandably nervous and it showed clearly in his voice,

"Um… Right. So. Yes. First thing would be that Dumbledore is a manipulative old goat that shouldn't be trusted with anything."

Snorts were heard throughout the compartment,

"Harry." Fred teased, "We already knew that, now tell us the rest."

Giggling slightly, Harry did continue,

"The reason I'm saying this is because not only is he clearly biased against Slytherin, but he also left me out on my relatives' doorstep in the middle of the night, all night. Then, he never checks on me, leaving me to be abused and neglected knowing nothing about the wizarding world. He sends Hagrid to re-introduce me and never mentioned my heritage once this entire time. Not forgetting the whole fiasco with the stone that was clearly set up."

Harry had to stop at this point as he was panting for breath. Neville was looking murderous and finally erupted in a way eerily similar to Tom's own explosion.

"He did _what?!"_ He roared, his whole demeanour a far cry away from the shy boy of before. "That's illegal. He could go to Azkaban for years for that, Dumbledore or not!"

This continued on for quite some time, various comments emerging about contacting his Gran and re-establishing the old alliance. Harry had no clue what he was talking about but Tom kindly helped as usual,

 _"_ _When the wizarding council was first created there was three alliances formed to represent the three magical affinities equally. It was meant to bring stability to the world and did for many years. The Light alliance consisted of the Ancient and Noble Houses of Longbottom, Potter, Abbott and Weasley and led by the Most Ancient and Noble House of Gryffindor. The Greys were formed of The Ancient and Noble Houses of Greengrass, Lovegood, Zabini and … They followed the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Ravenclaw. The Dark were led by Slytherin and were typically formed of the Blacks, Selwyns, Notts and Rosiers. There was a final faction that acted as the mediators and peacekeepers. This consisted of two families, the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Hufflepuff and the Ancient and Noble House of Bones."_

 _"_ _Well that system will have to change."_ Harry thought back firmly.

Returning his attention to the group before him Harry swiftly interrupted Neville's diatribe,

"Neville, while I will quite happily ally myself with you and the Weasley twins I will not shut out the other factions. You may not know this but Sirius Black is my Godfather in the eyes of Lady Magic herself. I am still unsure how he came to be locked away in Azkaban but that is a conversation for another time. My point is that as he is the new Lord Black, I will most likely be able to ally myself with the House of Black and I plan to make many new friends and allies this year without being influenced by their magical affinity. We are both Light wizards but Fred and George are Grey."

His last comment caught the interest of the twins even as Neville was nodding along thoughtfully, expression pensive,

"Now Harry," George started, "How would you know a thing like that?"

"You've not told us everything yet." Fred finished shrewdly.

This recaptured all their attention and focused it back on Harry, clearing his throat, the young boy continued,

"Yes, there is something else. When Voldemort attacked that Halloween and torn from his body, he left a piece of his soul behind. That little piece of soul latched on to the only living thing in that room, me."

There was uproar. All three of them were shouting questions or shuddering in horror. Finally, Harry managed to shout them into silence again,

"Thank you. That soul piece was then forced to emotionally mature all over again while trapped in the very core of my being and unable to interact with the world. That had a profound effect on the soul piece, causing it to not only regain its sanity, but also changed its magical affinity from Dark to light Grey. I know all this because he spent the last year stealing energy from the Master Soul living on the back of Quirrell's head in an attempt to communicate with me. He succeeded in the Hospital wing when I finally came out of my healing sleep."

"How do you know he's telling the truth?" Neville asked tentatively.

"Because he spoke his intentions while standing in the middle of a Goblin Warded managers office at Gringotts bank."

That instantly cleared everything up, Goblins were known for enchanting their offices to ensure that the truth was always spoken within its walls.

"I've spent a bit of my summer helping him retrieve the bits of his soul that he ripped off over his years of being Voldemort. That's actually what that diary was that I got you guys to get from Ginny. That held half of Voldemort's soul."

Fred and George visibly paled at the thought and Harry quickly hurried on,

"Would you like to meet him?" He asked hopefully.

The group nodded slowly and the next instant Tom was sitting on the seat beside Harry.

"Hello." He greeted evenly, "I loved your prank on Quirrell. I got such a kick thinking about those snowballs smacking the snake-faced monstrosity over and over again."

Fred and George glowed at the praise and whooped aloud when the realised that they'd pranked the Dark Lord Voldemort himself. Tom smirked at them both,

"I would like to offer me and Harry's assistance in pranking the old goat."

The grins that were exchanged at this offer were positively feral, and Neville burst out laughing, finally choking out,

"The old coot won't know what hit him. He… he doesn't stand a chance."

This caused everyone to join in the laughter before settling down to plan. The New Marauders were soon formed, and Hogwarts shivered with anticipation. This year would be _fun._

The Sorting and Welcome feast passed quietly. Harry was glad to hear that there were no warnings of death and decapitation _this_ year. However, once he entered the common room, he was set upon by Ron and Hermione.

"Harry, why didn't you answer my letters?" Hermione screeched angrily, sounding suspiciously close to a banshee.

"Yeah, are we suddenly not good enough for the precious Boy-Who-Lived?" Ron butted in, face bright red.

Drawing in a calming breath, Harry replied, "What letters? I haven't received a single letter from either of you all summer so I decided that if you couldn't be bothered writing to me, I wouldn't write to you."

That said, he swept past the pair and towards an armchair placed next to the fire. Recovering themselves quickly, the two followed him.

"But Harry," Hermione whined, "We're your best friends."

"Hermione." Harry said firmly, "If you are my best friends then you have a funny way of showing it." "But-"

"Don't interrupt." Harry stated firmly, "You, Hermione, spend far too much of your time needling me over my school work and forcing your own opinions down my throat. You never bother to check if what you're doing is what I want as you've already decided what's best for me. Your love of authority figures blinds you to their faults which causes issues as I've never had an adult figure to rely on since my parents died."

Turning from the spluttering witch, he faced Ron,

"You are a petty and jealous boy who can't see beyond his own imagined problems to see how much others may be suffering. You are a bigoted, close-minded individual who is too lazy to work for anything. Your jealousy is poisonous and drives everyone away. Maybe one day we can be friends, but you are both far too harmful to my own development and sense of worth at the moment. I hope you can understand."

His piece said, Harry stood up and calmly walked upstairs to his dorm. Once there, he hurriedly scrambled on to his bed and pulled the curtains. A silencing charm washed over the hangings as Tom appeared and gathered Harry close as the younger male shook with suppressed emotion. That had been far harder than Harry expected and he was once again grateful for the support offered by his guardian. It had physically hurt to see how little the pair understood what he was saying and Harry knew that he wouldn't regain their friendship for many years. Gently rocking his charge, Tom silently ran through every curse word he knew, directed at the two people who had reduced Harry to this state. Tom got the distinct impression that he was going to need to find a way to get Harry's Godfather out of prison. Harry needed the support of someone who didn't have to hide from the world. Tom couldn't give that to Harry and might not be able to for a long time.

" _Sirius Black,"_ Tom swore, _"_ _You better still be sane. Your Godson needs you now more than ever."_

On a small, rocky island, battered by huge waves and howling gales, surrounded by darkness and despair, a Grim slowly lifted its head.


	4. A New Year, a Fresh Start

**Hello! No need to worry, I'm not dead or vanished from the face of the earth, just busy and just starting college. I sat down to write a little bit and ended up with this so here you go! Enjoy!**

The next day dawned bright and early to find Neville desperately trying to stop Ron from disturbing Harry. Luckily, Tom had spelled Harry's curtains shut tight the night before for exactly this reason. All Ron got for his efforts was a head of bright green hair. Behind the curtains, Harry and Tom finally began to stir at the sounds of rage coming from the dorm room. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Harry peered through his curtains cautiously as Tom disappeared silently.

Upon being faced with Ron's puce visage topped with a mound of green hair, Harry burst out laughing along with the rest of their dorm mates. Ron, at this point, was incoherent with rage, thus allowing everyone else a short reprieve from his yelling. They all exploited this opportunity to the fullest and escaped his presence as soon as was humanly possible. Still laughing, Harry and Neville joined up with Fred and George in the common room before heading down to breakfast, Dean and Seamus following their lead. Hermione and Ginny being left to deal with a spluttering, red-faced Ron while both stared wistfully after the happy group of students.

Breakfast went surprisingly well, with Harry's newer, more emotionally understanding friends taking over the task of fielding Ron and Hermione's attempts to interrupt their peace. Sooner than seemed right, Professor McGonagall was handing out their timetables. Today was very full for the Gryffindors, they had Herbology first with the Hufflepuffs followed by Transfiguration with the Slytherins. Their afternoon class would be their first class with the idiot who had somehow conned the whole wizarding world.

Tom had been very unimpressed by the books and Harry had shared Tom's view with his three closest friends. Neville had promised to let Harry share his set of books while Fred and George were already planning to dupe Lockhart into signing theirs so that they could sell them in the future. Tom and Harry had perked up at that and both were planning to keep an eye on the pair in case they ever decided to open a business. They had a lot of instinctual business and marketing sense and the pair believed that the two mad inventors should exploit this skill in the future. Harry was convinced that the ingenious duo wouldn't take much persuading on this point, he had often heard them talking about selling their creations once they left Hogwarts.

Harry was jolted out of his silent musings by Neville shaking him so that they could go to Herbology. Quickly, Harry scrambled out of his seat before following the taller boy towards the Greenhouses. However, Harry was horrified to see Lockhart standing outside next to their teacher while obviously scanning the class for Harry's face. Acting on instinct and fuelled by Tom's mama bear tendencies, Harry slipped his wand out and silently cast a strong notice-me-not around himself before hastily informing Neville about what he had done and why. Happily, this easily worked against the stuck-up fraud and Harry easily bypassed him on his way into class, only removing the charm from his form when the annoyance had left. Professor Sprout seemed to notice his actions but only smirked in amusement and commiseration and awarded him five points for, "Showing commitment to his education by using advanced spell work to escape distractions."

Harry had almost laughed at her not so subtle dig at her colleague, though he caught himself just in time. After that piece of drama, the class passed smoothly as Harry and Neville worked together to re-pot the shrieking baby mandrakes. Both were mildly bored by the whole ordeal as not only was Harry advanced in most subjects, but Neville was a genius with plants. He even got one mandrake to shut up for a whole ten seconds! Professor Sprout had beamed at the pair and pulled them aside to inform them that now that Neville had a partner able to keep up with him she could finally move him on to more advanced material. Neville was ecstatic at the news and talked rapturously on the subject all the way to Transfiguration.

Harry and Neville of course paired up again in this class and the marked difference in Neville's casting was noticed by all. His spells now came easily, with him completing the spells soon after Harry every time. His confidence had grown as well, making his moves precise and elegant. Hermione had sulked all lesson after being shown up by the person previously considered a near-squib in power levels. Again, Harry and Neville were pulled aside, praised, and asked about what had changed. Neville went first, hastily explaining about his old wand and the troubles it had caused. McGonagall had looked horrified that such a handicap had been missed by herself and the rest of the class. Once she'd apologised for their blunders on the matter, she turned to Harry, eyebrows raised, waiting. Shrugging, Harry casually revealed the truth, "This summer, a really close friend pointed out that my relatives don't care about my magical grades so I can excel without worrying about being attacked and locked up for days on end. It rekindled my love for learning so I spent my summer sneaking my old course texts out of where they'd been locked up and reviewing everything. My friend helped and even taught me some of the more advanced material. That's it really, nothing serious."

"N-nothing serious?" Spluttered McGonagall, face ashen, "Why did you never say anything about how your guardians treated you? You obviously know that what they are doing is wrong!"

Harry looked at her strangely, face a mask of innocent confusion, "Professor… I thought you all already _knew."_

"What on earth gave you that idea?!" McGonagall, whisper-yelled, face anxious.

"Well…" Harry replied slowly, "My Hogwarts letter _was_ addressed to the _Cupboard under the Stairs!_ Surely that being labelled as my permanent residence should have caused at least _some_ alarm?!"

McGonagall looked ready to faint at this latest revelation and actually swayed slightly where she stood.

"Mr. Potter. Harry…" She croaked, "I can assure you I had no idea. The letters are addressed by a magical quill and the only person with the opportunity to see the envelopes is the Headmaster."

As soon as those words left her mouth her face became thunderous and she swiftly stalked from the classroom, muttering curses and calling Dumbledore every derogatory term under the sun and more. The two boys were impressed by her imagination and creativity on the subject. Tom was too busy scolding Harry for listening to such things and ranting about McGonagall's 'Unprofessional conduct' to really listen to the threats and growls growing fainter as McGonagall stalked towards Dumbledore's office. Grinning, the pair of second years jogged down to the Great Hall for lunch. Over lunch, Harry was informed on Fred and George's success in their task of getting Colin Creevey to stop his obsessive stalking of Harry with a camera. They'd even done it without threatening the poor kid with bodily harm. They admitted that it had taken a lot of convincing and Colin was only convinced when George asked how he would feel if someone followed him around and invaded his space as much as he had been doing to Harry. That had shut the hyperactive kid up. Harry could have kissed the pair of them, the kid had been getting on his nerves constantly since this morning. Fred and George had interfered before anything could happen though, which was better for everyone involved. After all, Harry would be responding with two people's anger, not just his own.

The afternoon class was Lockhart. Harry was honestly dreading it, hence the subtle notice-me-not charms cast over their entire desk at the back of the room, as far away from the creep who seemed obsessed with Harry as they could get. A couple of the Slytherins noticed what Harry had done and sat near the pair, as if trying to benefit from the notice-me-nots and avoid Lockhart's egotism as much as possible. Soon the seats closest to the two Gryffindors were filled by Daphne Greengrass, Tracey Davis, Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini. Tom was quick to remind Harry that Zabini and Greengrass were two of the leading Grey families with the Davis family being a long-time supporter of the Greengrasses while Nott was the last Heir of one of the original Dark council. Sending a wave of understanding at his overprotective body-mate, Harry hastily expanded his notice-me-not to include the four Slytherins, earning him confused or calculating gazes from all. Deciding to ignore that for now, Harry threw up a silencing charm as Lockhart swept into the classroom and addressed his new potential friends, "Hi, I'm Harry, last heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter if you want to be fancy but just Harry to my friends."

This drew more calculating looks from the other four as they introduced themselves before Daphne, their apparent spokesperson, chose to start the questions going, "No offence, Harry, but why are you only now doing these things, and why us? You must know our individual families' magical affinities."

Harry nodded quietly through her speech and, once she finished, took a moment to formulate his answer, "I didn't know about my true heritage and what it entailed until this summer as it was deliberately kept from me…"

Shushing their noises of outrage, he continued, "As for your affinities, yes I know them. However, I don't judge possible friends and allies on this. Neville and I may be Light wizards, but Fred and George are Grey- "

Again, he had to stop as the group shifted and muttered in disbelief, "Yes, they really are Grey. Would have been in Slytherin too if it hadn't been a sure path to familial rejection. Anyway, another thing is that I have a friend-"

"Guardian angel more like." Neville snorted quietly, earning a glare from Harry,

" _As I was saying,"_ Harry hissed, frustrated, "My friend or guardian or whatever used to be incredibly Dark but through a series of truly incredible events and coincidences his affinity shifted to a darkish grey. He is the only person to ever look out for my wellbeing above anything else and I trust him completely. With him as an example, why would I exclude people with other magical affinities without getting to know them first?"

This impassioned rant actually left the usually collected quartet gaping in shock and wonder. Changing magical affinities like that was unheard of, it was possible for a baby to be born with one affinity and grow to have a different one. For an older child or adult's affinity to change was thought to be impossible, yet here was Harry telling them that not only was it possible, it had occurred. When they finally emerged from their shock, they launched into a fierce debate on politics and social structure in wizarding Britain compared to the rest of the world. It took up the rest of Lockhart's useless lesson and the group found themselves agreeing on many of the points discussed. Thus, a tentative alliance and friendship was born and they promised to not only continue this every DADA lesson, but to also meet up in the library and study DADA together properly, without Lockhart's pathetic teaching methods. They had only paid attention to the quack long enough to discover what their homework would be before hurriedly leaving the classroom as soon as the bell rang.

Harry and Neville then spent the rest of their afternoon hidden away in the Room of Requirement with Fred and George, alternating between experimenting with their own potions and teaching Neville potions in a way that he understood and didn't leave him a nervous wreck. Snape was in for a shock this Friday that was for sure. After all, not only was Harry a budding genius in the subject, but the twins had been convinced to try their best in all their classes. Now Neville was full of confidence and well-versed in any potion Snape might throw at them. Harry wondered what the man's reaction would be to his lack of glasses, it would certainly be an interesting experiment. Tom chuckled at that, amusement overflowing as he materialised next to Harry while commenting, "I've corrupted you, dear Harry. Your Slytherin side is starting to rear its head."

Harry snorted, "About time." He commented lightly, "I'll need it with the friends I'm currently making. I rather like snakes anyway, so it's not that bad."

Laughing incredulously, Tom pulled Harry close and proceeded to tickle him into submission. Harry's indignant shrieks echoed through the temporary potions lab as the others guffawed loudly at his plight.

Dinner was a bit of an anti-climax after that, nothing exciting happened apart from the group receiving glares from Hermione, Ron, Draco and Snape while Dumbledore watched Harry worriedly. They ignored it all as much as they could while Fred and George fell to plotting Dumbledore's imminent humiliation. They knew it would be a real sight to behold and worth any punishment they may suffer for it. The common room was equally uneventful as Harry was quick to escape up to the dorms and the relative safety of his bed, letting Neville in before spelling the curtains closed. That done, Tom appeared and summoned a floating ball of light and they spent the next hour chatting quietly about their lives and their plans for the future. At some point, they managed to fall asleep in a tangle of limbs, Neville ended up with his head cushioned on Tom's arm as the two bigger males sprawled on their backs while Harry lay spread-eagled over the both of them, head on Neville's chest. All were relaxed, dreams undisturbed by the usual nightmares that plagued all three.

Far away, a skeletal figure with long, straggly black hair stared out of his narrow window and towards Hogwarts, wondering about his Godson. The chill that permeated the air took a sharp dive and the man instinctively shifted into his Animagus form. The Grim was just as clearly malnourished as its human counterpart, though at least in this form he had his thick, wiry fur to ward off the freezing climate. Huffing, the magical dog settled down to sleep, turning over the strange conviction he now had that his Godson-his Harry-needed him. Desperately. Growling discontentedly, the Animagus curled up even further, mind churning with escape plans, discarding most of them instantly. He would escape before the year was out. He should have escaped years ago so that he could watch over his little Prongslet. Wizarding world bedamned, all that mattered was Harry. So what if no one had ever escaped from Azkaban? He was a Marauder, and Marauders were experts at doing the impossible. Sighing gently, Sirius Black drifted off into a restless slumber, mind still full of half-finished plans.


	5. Potions and Preperations

**Hello! Really sorry it's been so long! College has been taking over a lot of my time and because it's a writing course I've had to switch a lot of my time to writing stuff for that. Got a short holiday so thought I'd use it to update some of my stories so here it is! Hope you enjoy.**

Potions class crept up on them all like a flu in winter, a long-dreaded but planned for eventuality. Harry and Neville stood outside the classroom, fidgeting slightly in place as they waited for class to start. They'd brewed the simple sleeping draught flawlessly the night before but there was a huge difference between brewing something among friends compared to brewing in a room full of people actively trying to sabotage you. They both knew this and were terrified of what could go wrong.

Sooner than they'd like, the dungeon door crashed open and the snapped instruction of "In!" echoed through the dark corridor.

Neville and Harry shuffled hastily to their seats at their workbench, having chosen to work together to avoid any possible mistakes by their partner. Setting up didn't take long as they had their own ingredients and their kit was spotless after scrubbing them the night before.

"How well should we do?" Neville whispered hurriedly to Harry as they began to prepare their ingredients.

"Go all out. We aren't going to put up with anything this year, remember?"

"Of course. Thanks Harry."

The pair were interrupted by the scathing tones of the resident sadistic potions master, "Talking already, Potter, Longbottom. How… Disappointing. I would have hoped you would have realised that all your minimal intellect would be needed to spare your potion from a disasterous fate."

"I apologise, Professor. We were merely co-ordinating our roles in the creation of the sleeping draught you asked us to brew." Harry answered smoothly, not even bothering to turn around.

"Five points for cheek, Potter." Snape snapped as he stalked off in a swirl of robes. Harry and Neville just shared a look before continuing slowly with their potion.

Halfway through the lesson, a slight whistling sound warned the pair of an incoming attempt at sabotage. In an instant, Neville had his wand drawn and an invisible shield raised over the top of their cauldron. The ingredient hit the shield and was knocked gently away to land on their desk.

"That could have done some serious damage!" Neville hissed.

"I know! We could have been seriously injured if that had landed." Harry hissed back, glancing around the room for the culprit. Surprisingly, it wasn't any of the usual culprits as Malfoy was staring at their table in horror and looking around wildly with the same goal as Harry. Harry's heart sank when he realised who had done it. Ron was glaring at his workbench fiercely as if willing it to explode via willpower alone.

"It was Ron." Harry said dejectedly as he glanced back at Malfoy. Malfoy had clearly figured it out as he was now sending a death stare at the tall ginger.

"What?! The idiot! He's not worth your guilt Harry. You need to do what's best for you."

"I know. I just wish he understood why I had to do this."

"If he understood you wouldn't have had to do it in the first place, Harry."

"True. I guess I want my first friend back but I know it would be bad for me."

" _What am I? Chopped liver? I'll always be here for you, just like Neville, Fred and George will."_ Tom's voice whispered from within Harry's skull.

 _"_ _Thanks Tom."_

The rest of potions passed without incident and the pair were left with a potion the exact shade of purple specified on the board. Working quickly, they bottled the potion to take up for marking and cleaned out their cauldron.

They walked up together and placed their labelled and spelled unbreakable phials on the desk. Snape's face visibly twitched when faced with their perfect potion and they could see how hard he was trying to find a way to get them in trouble for their work. Luckily, they'd been sure to leave him no way out. He would have to mark them correctly or they would go to another teacher and show their work. Pomphrey would be best as she used these potions regularly.

Grinning, the friends sped out of the classroom and straight into the waiting arms of a pair of freckled troublemakers.

"Everything go well?" Fred questioned cheerily.

"Flawlessly." Harry chirped.

"Never knew what hit him." Neville added, face split in a wide grin.

A cough behind them halted their progress and the whole group swivelled as one to stare at Draco Malfoy fidgeting in the centre of the now empty corridor.

"Yes, Mini Malfoy?" George asked cooly.

"I saw what Weasley tried to do to your potion."

"I know." Harry answered bluntly. Draco floundered for a moment before rallying.

"Why would he do that? You could have been in the hospital wing for a week!"

"Why do you care? You've done the same thing plenty of times."

"I know." Draco's proud head fell at that and he looked close to tears, "But only because it's expected of me and I never throw something that could do any serious harm like he did."

"What do you mean, expected of you?"

"I'm a Malfoy. Both my father and grandfather were Death Eaters and my mother's a Black. I'm meant to be evil and a git to anything Gryffindor. Especially Dumbledore's 'golden boy'." Draco sighed dejectedly.

"Fair enough." Neville quipped. "Guess we'll just have to kidnap you every so often to join us in our mad exploits. That alright with Tom, Harry?"

 _"_ _Tom?"_

 _Mini Malfoy would be a good friend if you can break him of his parents conditioning."_

"Tom agrees."

"Who's Tom?" Draco asked, face scrunched up with confusion.

"All in good time, Mini Malfoy." Fred replied quickly.

"All in good time." George added just as quickly. That said, the four continued their lesurely journey to the Room, Draco trailing in their wake, still looking a little lost and confused.

They reached the Room and once their usual space was summoned they had to actively drag a gaping Malfoy inside and push him into a chair.

"What is this place?" Malfoy finally asked once he was capable of thought once more.

"This, my dear sir, is The Room of Requirement." Fred answered with a flourish.

"It turns into whatever it is you require at the time and fulfils all your needs once you've entered." George continued, taking pity on the still confused second year.

"Tom told us about it." Harry added helpfully.

"Still don't know who that is." Draco quipped.

"That would be me." Tom answered himself, appearing suddenly in the middle of the room.

Draco yelped loudly and fell out of his chair instantly, staring wide eyed at the young man standing before him.

"Hey Tom, you've grown again. You look about sixteen. What's that about?" Harry asked curiously, ignoring Malfoy for now.

"Now that I'm stronger and only choosing to share your mind and soul, I can start to grow separately from my host body. I aim to be about twenty five by the end of the year."

"That's great! You'll be able to openly get custody of me by then!"

"Exactly. Now, maybe we should explain to the poor little Slytherin on the floor." That said, the duo turned as one to stare at the still prone form of the Malfoy heir. Malfoy flushed under their gaze and scrambled up and back into his original chair.

"Right." Harry started. "Tom is a bit of Voldemort's soul that has been living in my body since the attack. I changed him through some rather useful twists in how the soul magic chose to work. Now he acts like an over protective parent or older sibling and we're currently patching his soul back together. Any questions?"

Draco fainted.

"Well that went very well, don't you think?" Neville announced cheerfully. "Now, what are we doing about Ronald?"

"Glad you asked." Fred stated, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Brother dearest needs a lesson."

"Too right, Gred. Something must be done. It is our solemn duty as older brothers."

"How about something Slytherin themed?" Neville suggested, smiling evilly.

"Beautiful!" Fred proclaimed. "Hit him where it hurts." George shouted happily.

"Maybe something Medusa inspired?" Harry added from where he was curled up into Tom's side.

"I like how you think, Harrikins." George answered distractedly as the three vengeful students set to work scribbling ideas down on a handy piece of parchment.

"Runes would be a good way to seal it…"

"…With that as a potion base."

"Then we could add a charm element…"

"…have it keyed to a word using that formula."

Once they'd finished the planning they set to work turning their thoughts into reality.

Draco woke to an explosion echoing through the room and shot upright in time to see the three inventors coughing while waving away a cloud of green smoke from around their protected heads.

"Too much lavender methinks." Muttered one of the twins.

"The rune element wasn't quite stable either." Neville added slowly, fiddling with something before straightening again. "Alright, round two?"

The twins nodded and the group dove right back in to their elaborate experiment.

"What?" Draco wandered aloud.

"Revenge for Weasley's potions stunt." Draco spun around in his chair to see Tom looking at him calmly with a sleeping Harry cuddled into his side. Draco couldn't help noticing how cute and vulnerable Harry looked like that and his long suppressed brotherly urges surged forth and zeroed in on the raven haired boy.

"Welcome to the family." Tom sighed, obviously interpreting whatever emotions were present on Draco's pale face.

"Thanks." Draco answered dazedly. "I've never really had one before."

"Well now you're a member of one of the strangest ones out there." Tom sighed, "And we seem to always be adding to it."

Draco snorted, "What's next? A criminal?"

"Could be, could very well be." Tom huffed, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. Draco could only stare, "What?"

"Sirius Black, convicted for a crime he didn't commit and Harry's godfather. I want him in Harry's life."

Draco fainted again. Tom sighed again. "I hope he doesn't make that a habit, it's very annoying."


	6. A Black Family Reunion

**Sorry it's been so long, life took a turn for the worst but I'm back and writing once more!**

That night, Tom decided it was about time for him to talk to Black about his imprisonment and need for escape. With that in mind, he waited patiently for Harry and Neville to fall asleep before untangling himself from their bodies and tiptoeing to the window. Pushing it open, he hastily cast both a disillusion and a silencing spell using Harry's wand that he'd borrowed for the expedition. That done, he jumped from the window and began to fly in a feat of magic only he was capable of. Once beyond the reach of Hogwarts' wards he apparated mid-air only to reappear outside the walls of Azkaban prison. Now here came the tricky part, as a being made entirely of soul and not much actual body he was especially vulnerable to Dementors. Praying it would work, Tom cast the only spell he'd never succeeded in casting, "Expecto Patronum!"

He had his eyes shut tightly, focusing hard on how he'd felt when Harry had said he loved him for the first time. A silver light burst across the surface of his eyelids and they flew open to be greeted by a huge silver wolf streaking through the air and warding off and Dementors patrolling the outer walls of the prison. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Tom drifted down to a door he'd discovered years ago when planning an attack on this building. It would allow him to enter on the high security floor instead of climbing all those stairs. Moving swiftly, he made his way along the corridor, his patronus patrolling the air around him as he searched for Black. Once he found him he hastily dismantled the many locking charms and wards on the door before slipping inside.

"Sirius Black?" He whispered, dropping the concealment charms.

"Who're you?" Barked a harsh voice from the shadows. "I don't recognise you, whaddaya want?"

"I'm a friend. I know you're innocent and I'm here to discuss plans to get you free. Harry needs you."

"Harry?" The voice was suddenly far more lucid as Sirius lerched forward into the light cast by the patronus guarding the cell door. "What's wrong with my Prongslet? Is he alright? What do you know? Tell me!"

"Calm down Sirius, he's alright now. I'm protecting him and will continue to do so until I die. I'll explain as quickly as possible then get you out of here."

"Alright." Sirius grunted, inching forward and making himself comfortable on the floor, "I'm listening."

"Okay… After you gave Harry to Hagrid, he was taken to Number 4 Privet Drive where Dumbledore was waiting."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up! That's the address of Lily's detestable sister. Why the hell was he taken there?!"

"Don't interrupt, we don't have much time as the patronus is the one spell I have never managed to cast before now. Anyway, Dumbledore then thought it was a brilliant idea to leave poor Harry asleep on the doorstep with only a letter in explanation."

" _What?"_ Sirius roared, leaping to his feet, face flushed bright red.

"Yes, exactly my reaction to that brilliant plan. To continue, as you can guess, this did not lead to a healthy, happy childhood. In fact, it was very similar to both yours and mine. I tried to help as much as I could but at this point I was severely incapacitated and weak so couldn't do much at all beyond providing silent support and comfort."

"I'll kill the old goat." Sirius muttered brokenly, "Poor Prongslet."

"I'll help" Tom added, not even seeming phased by the death threats. "As I was saying, I couldn't do much until this summer when I finally managed to talk to Harry properly after Dumbledore sent him on a mad quest to protect the Philosopher's Stone from a teacher possessed by Lord Voldemort himself."

"He. Is. Dead. No one risks Harry's happiness and safety like that."

"I agree completely, which is why I am now working to get Harry as far away from them all as possible. I already allowed Harry to stay in my house all of this summer after threatening the Dursleys, but for reasons I won't go into now, I can't do anything legally. That's why we need you."

"I don't know how you think I'll be any help. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a convicted criminal who doesn't even have the power of the Blacks to fall back on."

"See that's where you're wrong. You were never given a trial so therefore your imprisonment is against wizarding law and old Arcturus never cast you out of the Black family so when he died, you became the new Lord Black. If we can get you out of here, you can legally claim a trial and destroy those ponces at the Ministry in a matter of moments. Even if you were guilty, you would still walk free at this point."

"I could kiss you, that's genius!" Sirius crowed, "Maybe wait until you've cleaned up a bit before you follow through with the kissing." Quipped Tom distractedly, looking the convict over in ill-disguised horror. Sirius threw his head back and laughed uproariously at that, showing off his remarkably still healthy teeth. Magic really was amazing.

"Alright, pretty boy, lets go." Sirius said, staggering to his feet and moving towards the door. On their way back along the corridor, they passed a cell containing the skeletal form of Bellatrix Lestrange, lying huddled in a corner as far from the cell door as possible.

"Poor Bella." Sirius whispered, staring in at his cousin. "I'll never know what happened to change her. She was such a wonderful girl when we were children, then everything changed one summer, she became unrecognisable. It only got worse after she married that brute Rudolphus."

"It was your family, they threatened Cissy's life if Bella didn't follow their rules and conform. They tortured her in an attempt to break her spirit. When that didn't work they pawned her off on that oaf, Lestrange. He's been torturing and Imperioing the poor woman ever since."

"That's… sick. Can we save her?" "I don't know, but we can try." Looking grim, the frail man and healthy-looking teenager entered the fragile woman's cell.

"Bella?" Sirius whispered cautiously. "Bella? You still in there?"

"Siri? Are you real? I'm not just dreaming?" Croaked out a feeble voice as an eye appeared amidst the matted mess of hair that covered her face.

"Yes, Bella, I'm real. I know what they did to you and we're here to save you."

"Oh, Siri. I've been longing to hear that for years. Please get me out of here, I've got so much to make up for, that poor Longbottom boy, I tried so hard to fight against Ru and the others, but it wasn't enough." She choked out, beginning to sob brokenly.

"Come on, Bella. Time to start living again. Time for us both to start living."

Tottering along, clutching each other tightly, the cousins made their way slowly out of the cell and along the corridor.

"Right, I can only bring down the anti-apparition wards in this area for a minute, so you need to hold on to me tightly." Tom ordered, raising Harry's wand and beginning to mutter a long stream of Latin. As soon as he felt the ward flicker he apparated out of there, bringing the Black family members along with him.

They all landed with a quiet thump outside the gates of a large manor house situated in the midst of a dark forest.

"Black family manor." Sirius whispered, "Never thought I'd live to see it again."

"Well surprise! You did. Now get inside, you're both look near dead at this point. Can't have Harry seeing you like this." Tom muttered while shepherding the pair inside.

As soon as they were inside the elaborate front doors an old house elf popped into existence.

"Who are you and why are you disturbing my Master's rest?" It croaked, looking at the trio suspiciously. This sent Tom into peals of laughter. "Should have known Arcturus would have pulled a stunt like this. He faked his own death the sly old fossil! Tell him his old friend Tom is here with some family."

The elf popped away while the cousins swayed there dazedly. After all, they had just been rescued from hell itself by a teenage boy who now seemed to be saying that he knew their grandfather personally. Just then the elf popped back and beckoned them to follow him up the marble staircase.

They followed the wrinkled creature through a myriad of ornate passageways until they reached a small, cosy family living room with a roaring fire. An old man with a long mane of brilliant white hair and sharp blue eyes peering out from a face lined with age.

"Only you, Tom would manage to look far younger than the last time I saw you. And saner too, which is a relief. Told you those things were a bad idea."

"Yes, yes, you were right. You'll be amazed to hear I am now a true grey wizard these days."

"Oh, really? You will have to tell me the story behind that one. Now, who are your ragged friends?"

"Tut, tut old man, can't even recognise your own grandchildren now. Oh dear oh dear."

"That's not… little Siri and baby Bella? Oh my poor children! What has Azkaban done to you?"

"A lot, old grandpappy. Your friend Tom over there freed us earlier tonight."

"Well I'm glad to see my heir is sane at least. Always an improvement. Seeing as Tom is sane as well, I'm guessing you're both innocent of the crimes you were convicted of."

"Not even convicted in my case!" Sirius continued cheerfully.

 _"_ _What?"_ The aging Lord roared, "They dared imprison a son of the House of Black without a trial? Without even a formal conviction? Heads will roll for this!"

"That enough to bring you out of retirement, old man?" Tom insinuated quietly.

"Is it? _Is it by Merlin?!_ If it isn't the death of me through pure rage I bloody well hope it is. Now, you two need baths and beds. Off you go."

"Maybe one bed would be best, the nightmares are bound to be horrific." Tom interjected once more.

"What a sensible idea! When did you become so considerate?"

"When I gained a conscience and a heavily abused and traumatised charge."

"This tale is becoming more fascinating by the minute! I really must hear all about it." Arcturus stated gleefully as he summoned house elves, gave orders and gently chivvied his damaged and fragile grandchildren from the room.

"I'll be back tomorrow night to tell it once those two have had time to recover slightly old friend. I have a child to protect from Dumbledore's incessant meddling after all."

"Oh dear, that really is a Herculean task you've set yourself."

"One I mean to complete." Tom stated grimly, before disapperating from the room. Luckily for him, he was still keyed into the wards. Upon reaching the edge of the Hogwarts wards, he decided to try something, he simply allowed himself to be drawn back inside Harry's body and soul. Surprisingly, it worked. He soon discovered himself back where he'd spent so many years of his life. He took a moment to regroup and process everything he had done before settling down to sleep. That had been exhausting.

Harry and Neville woke up the next morning to discover no Tom… That instantly had Harry panicking slightly until a very sleepy voice echoed through his mind, " _I'm still here, silly. Just used up a lot of my energy last night getting you a present."_

 _"_ _A present? I don't need a present, Tom! It's not even my birthday!"_

 _"_ _Oh, hush my lion. You need this present. I'm working on getting your godfather cleared and returned to health, so you can officially leave your aunt and uncles forever."_

 _"_ _You really mean it, Tom? No more Dursleys ever again? Not even pretend?"_

 _"_ _Not even pretend. Pinky swear."_

 _"_ _That is the best present anyone has ever given me! Thank you so much, Tom."_

 _"_ _You're welcome, munchkin. I'll be very quiet today as I need to go back to talk to him and explain everything that's been happening."_

 _"_ _Okay Tom! You get all the rest you need. Love you."_

 _"_ _Love you too."_

True to his word, Tom didn't speak much the rest of that day. He only appeared to make snide comments about the Headmaster and Professor Snape. That night, Harry and Neville huddled close as they'd grown used to doing these past few nights and fell asleep quickly after Harry shared his exciting news. Neville was, of course, extremely happy for his new friend and was quick to say so.

As soon as it was late enough for him to not be spotted, Tom silently made his way out of the castle grounds yet again and apparated back to Black family Manor. He arrived just in time to see Arcturus finishing tucking Sirius and Bellatrix up in blankets in the armchairs closest to the roaring fire. Both looked in far better shape after a warm bath, a good nights sleep and lots and lots of chocolate to combat the prolonged exposure to dementors. Of course, they still had a long way to go and would need many a session with the mind healers of St. Mungos to correct all the damage once they were free.

Before any of that could happen though, they needed to plan like the born Slytherin's they were. Even Sirius, for as much as he was a Gryffindor, he had been raised a Slytherin and future Lord. Plus, he'd been one of the most successful pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen.

"Good evening to you all." Tom said politely, stepping towards the nearest armchair and sinking into it with a sigh of relief.

"You look exhausted." Sirius noted quietly.

"Not looking too good yourself there, Sirius." Tom quipped, opening one eye to stare at the still handsome man.

"In all seriousness Tom, are you alright? You look a whole year older since last night." Arcturus snapped worriedly, bustling towards his old friend with an extra mug of hot chocolate.

"I'm fine, Arcturus. I'm just not quite all alive and real all the time quite yet. I'm not back to full strength and my age is in a constant state of flux." Tom sighed, gratefully accepting the offered mug.

"Now that sounds like a good opening to ask for that explanation you promised me." Observed Arcturus, returning to his own chair.

"Yes, yes. As usual, you are right old friend." Grouched Tom before turning to address the two youngest people in the room, "Now, this tale is very long and arduous and painful both to tell and to hear. I ask that you don't interrupt very often, you will, I assure you but please refrain from trying to kill me until you've heard the full story."

The two Azkaban escapees nodded mutely, staring fascinated at their mysterious saviour.

"Right… I'll start at the very beginning then. Once upon a time there was a family by the name of Gaunt, they were incredibly proud, bigoted pureblood family who made a point to declare themselves as descendants of Slytherin himself."

"I remember learning about them. They were completely mad and destitute, weren't they?" Bellatrix interjected quietly.

"Exactly right, Bella. They lived in a tiny hovel in a place called Little Hangleton. There was a father, Marvolo and his two children, Morfin and Merope. Both Marvolo and Morfin heavily abused and put down poor little Merope and caused her to suppress her own magic out of fear and her own self-doubt. Eventually, Merope would have been forced to marry her own brother to continue the 'Noble line of Slytherin'."

"That's sick." Sirius choked. "That's life." Tom responded simply.

"So here we have a pureblood wizarding family in the middle of a muggle village. Poor little Merope pining away after a better life, a happier life. And then Tom Riddle appears. A handsome, wealthy muggle who lives in a mansion with his family. A beautiful fiancée, given whatever he asks for and never knowing a moment of hardship. Merope fell hopelessly in love with the idea of him and everything he stood for but someone like him would never fall for someone like her. Of course, her family soon realise what's happening and attack Tom Riddle and are shipped off for a short stay in Azkaban."

"I don't like where this is going…" Sirius muttered darkly, glaring at his hot chocolate. "You shouldn't." Tom called before continuing.

"This gave little Merope to show her own strain of the family instability when she decided that she must have Tom for herself. So, the girl everyone thought of as a Squib brewed a complex love potion and started feeding it to Tom Riddle. Soon after, she persuaded him to run away with her to London and marry her, leaving his family and his whole life behind him."

"That's so incredibly twisted. He would have had no free will of his own." Bella whispered brokenly, eyes widened in horror.

"I know, dear Bella. It took me a while to discover all the facts and when I did I couldn't see them for what they truly were anymore. Anyway, Merope soon became pregnant and around the same time stopped giving Tom the love potion. I still don't know her reasoning on that, we'll never know. Of course, Tom instantly left to try and salvage as much of his old life as he could, leaving Merope alone in London, with no skills, no money and pregnant with her child. She struggled along until New Year's Eve when she went into labour. Luckily she was near to a place called Wool's Orphanage who were able to provide help during the birth. Once her son was in the world she only lived long enough to name him, Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"That's you, isn't it?" Sirius barked, squinting shrewdly at the storyteller.

"well aren't you the smart one?" Snarked Tom, "But yes, I am Tom Marvolo Riddle. Now, could I continue?"

"Go right ahead, I'm not stopping you."

"Thank you. I grew up in that Orphanage, disliked by all because I was strange, abnormal, _bewitched._ None of the matrons took my side and all the children hated and feared me. I grew up not knowing or understanding love beyond what I felt for my snake friends. During that time I went through five separate exorcisms and multiple beatings and punishments. I quickly learnt that to survive I needed to fight back, make them so scared they wouldn't dare touch me."

"I don't know whether to sympathise or worry where you're going with this." Sirius growled lowly. "Go with both. I don't want pity though, I never have."

"Fair enough. I don't want it either."

"Moving on, I worked out that I could use my strangeness to my advantage. It would let me do things I couldn't logically do, I soon had my dream of being left alone but still no one loved me. The only thing I could hold on to was the knowledge that I was special, I was different, I was better than them. Then Dumbledore arrived."

"Meddling old bastard." Arcturus muttered evilly.

" _As I was saying,_ Dumbledore arrived with my Hogwarts letter. In the process of one meeting, he took an instant dislike to me, tried to intimidate me and set fire to my belongings. Needless to say, I never liked him after that. Flash forward to Hogwarts and my sorting into Slytherin."

"Oh, that can't have been easy." Bella winced. "It wasn't." Tom answered drily.

"I was an apparent muggleborn orphan, a nobody, invading Slytherin, the house of the purebloods and bigots. I was bullied more than ever before and had to quickly scramble to learn how to fight back effectively. It was tough and I might not have made it if it wasn't for your Grandfather. He was several years my senior but seemed to see my potential and looked out for me where he could. We soon became close friends, my first friend and until recently, my only one."

"Wow, you're old!" Sirius choked, doing a very good impression of a goldfish. "Thank you so much for that kind statement."

"No, no, no! You just look so young, it's ridiculous!"

"yes, well if you shut up you'd find out why. Anyway, I'll skip through my school years for now. All you need to know is that Dumbledore and I's mutual hatred only grew over the years and I'm now sure he was the one that implanted the magical suggestion in my mind to go after Horcruxes."

"WHAT?!" Both Sirius and Bellatrix roared, both clearly knowing exactly what a horcrux was and what this statement entailed.

"Yes, thanks to the glorious leader of the light I thought it would be a brilliant idea to make six horcruxes, splitting my soul into seven pieces."

"Oh this is a nightmare." Sirius groaned, slumping back in his chair. "If you made even half that many your sanity would be in tatters."

"Exactly. I made all six as far as I'm aware, although the last one was an accident."

" _Your soul was so far gone you made an accidental horcrux?"_ Arcturus bellowed, looking horrified. "That's never even been theorised about! The possible ramifications would be too much to contemplate!"

"And yet here I am, sanity intact and soul slowly being returned, bit by bit. Now, this is where my request that you refrain from killing me comes into play. You see, while in my insane state, I became Lord Voldemort."

Both Sirius and Bellatrix shuddered violently and stared at the boy calmly sitting before them.

"Let me explain, my madness had two targets, the people who made my childhood a misery and Dumbledore. My insanity reached such heights that I saw the most reasonable option to be total domination and destruction. I now see that this was complete nonsense and not an achievable goal at all but there you have it."

"What does this have to do with your current state?"

"I'm getting there, old man! Be patient! Anyway, this culminated in my foolish attack on the Potters, you all know vaguely what happened that night but what you don't know is that a fragment of my soul flew off and settled in Harry's mind and soul."

" _You mean to tell me that you made my godson into a horcrux?"_ Sirius seriously looked like he was considering murder but his grandfather quickly stuck him to his chair to avoid any unpleasantness.

"And it's a good thing I did. My soul fragment was forced to grow up all over again with Harry, soul to soul. And let me tell you, his life was comparable to mine, to all of ours really. I comforted him the best I could and gradually my magical alignment shifted to Grey. The Lord of the Dark is now a Grey wizard. All thanks to a little orphan boy and a strange twist of magic. So, since Harry's first year I have been gathering my strength and upping my attempts to protect Harry. I finally managed to gather the energy needed to actually contact him at the end of last year and we've been gathering horcruxes and living together ever since."

"I don't know how to feel. You have done so much evil, but I can't hate you. You've protected Harry and saved both Bella and I from the horrors of Azkaban. I can already tell that you love Harry and will protect him just as fiercely as I will and I'm guessing he returns that love so there's nothing I can conceivably do without hurting my godson. I don't like it though, and I can't quite trust you."

"If it helps I have stated my intentions regarding him inside a warded managers office at Gringotts."

"Damn. Of course that bloody helps! Can't convince myself you're lying now… And I so wanted a reason to hate you. Damn you and your good intentions."

Tom laughed uproariously before the group finally settled down to plan their next move. The wizarding world wouldn't know what hit it.


End file.
